


dazed and distracted, can't you tell?

by Flowerparrish



Series: winterhawk bingo [4]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Bingo Fill, Fluff, M/M, POV Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-08-13 08:14:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20171032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flowerparrish/pseuds/Flowerparrish
Summary: When Bucky decides not to be an Avenger, he’s not really sure what to do with himself. It takes a lot of brainstorming with Steve, but in the end, he goes back to one of his oldest interests that he still cares about: books.





	dazed and distracted, can't you tell?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GreyishBlue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyishBlue/gifts).

> Winterhawk bingo fill for the square: bookstore au

When Bucky decides not to be an Avenger, he’s not really sure what to do with himself. It takes a lot of brainstorming with Steve, but in the end, he goes back to one of his oldest interests that he still cares about: books.

He’s got a decent bank balance from SHIELD, but nothing like what would be necessary to own a bookstore. Steve pitches in, says he’ll be _an investor, Buck, doesn’t that sound neat? _and Bucky buys a small, cramped, but two-story used bookstore in Brooklyn. It even has a small apartment on the third floor—it’s everything Bucky needs.

First order of business is to clear things up. He needs a _theme. _It’s not hard to come up with one.

Everyone’s obsessed with aliens and fantasy and science fiction these days, now that there’s high profile magic users and aliens invading from outer space, so he puts all the books that aren’t speculative fiction on clearance and decides to dedicate his shop to just that one genre.

He doesn’t limit himself _within _that genre, though, oh no. He’s got kids and teens books, a billion copies of the Harry Potter series, but also paranormal romance books and all kinds of adult science fiction and fantasy. He’ll take anything, no matter how old or weird—in fact, he’s got an Old and Weird section in his shop.

He still sees the other Avengers; he hires a couple of part time employees, just college students looking to make a few bucks, and he makes his own schedule.

But what surprises him is that Clint starts spending a lot of time in his store.

It’s homey, now that Bucky’s renovated and decluttered; there’s an armchair he got at a thrift store in the back of the store, next to the paranormal romance section, and Clint has made that his second home.

“You know you could buy the books and take them home with you, right?” Bucky points out one day, when he’s dusting the shelves near where Clint’s reading a queer werewolf romance.

“Uh, yeah, but then I would be deprived of the sight of your handsome face.” Clint doesn’t even look up when he says it, though, so Bucky doesn’t take his words too seriously.

“Right,” he drawls, and then he moves on.

\--

It’s not until Steve brings it up that Bucky thinks to find it odd. “Clint sure spends a lot of time here,” Steve points out.

“So?” Bucky asks. “It’s a good bookstore, Steve. Maybe he really likes spec fic.”

“O-kay,” Steve says, drawing the word out. “Or maybe he likes _you.” _

“That’s ridiculous. He barely even talks to me. He just comes and reads.” Bucky doesn’t think about how sometimes his neck prickles like there’s someone watching him; every time he looks up, Clint’s nose is buried in his book of the day.

Bucky’s doing inventory one day, a new shipment of used books having just come in, when Clint leans against the counter. “Can I buy this one?”

“It’s a store,” Bucky points out. “You can buy all of them, if you want.”

“Nah, that would ruin the ambiance,” Clint says.

He buys his book and then lingers by the front. “What time do you get off work?”

“Five,” Bucky says. He’s got one of the teenagers in for the evening; they don’t have to bother closing the shop, just lock it up and Bucky takes care of it whenever he gets home, or when he opens in the morning.

“Plans?”

Bucky looks up to look at Clint, who is… fiddling with the string of his hoodie? “Thought I might go to the Tower, bother Steve.”

Clint looks inexplicably put out. “Oh,” he says. “Yeah, cool.”

“Why?” Bucky asks.

“No reason,” Clint says, but the words come out rushed and ring false.

Bucky narrows his eyes, but in the end, he lets it go. “Okay,” he says. “Maybe I’ll see you?”

“Yeah, or, y’know, around,” Clint says. “Bye.” And then he’s out the door, leaving Bucky blinking, confused, in his wake.

\--

“He likes you,” Steve repeats, when Bucky tells him about it. “Ask him out.”

“Who says I like him? Who even said I like guys?”

Steve snorts. “Buck, you’ve been bisexual as fuck since we were kids. You’re not as subtle as you think.”

That’s a horrifying thought. “It’s that obvious?”

Steve shrugs. “Nah, probably not, but it is to me.”

That’s marginally better. “Okay, but who says I’m attracted to Clint?”

“The way you’re fixated on him? The way you keep track of what books he reads and try to order more books he might like? The way you chose to add chairs to the store with him in mind?”

“Chairs were a good option for business,” Bucky defends.

“Yeah, and they also got you the added bonus of Clint hanging around. Ask him out.”

\--

“Hey,” Bucky says, when Clint finally turns back up four days later.

The avoidance has sucked. It’s made Bucky realize how big a part of his life Clint’s presence has become, and he’s come to the unfortunate realization that Steve is right.

He _likes _Barton. He likes his dumb comments about the books, and the way he likes to add recommendations to books he’s liked. He’s right, the recommendations always help the books sell, but more than that Bucky likes reading the things he writes on the little cards.

“Hey,” Clint says. There’s awkward silence for a moment, and Bucky thinks Clint’s going to just go find a book and hide behind it, so he starts to speak before Clint can do that. “I was going to ask—” he starts.

At the same moment, Clint says, “Did you want to—”

They both cut off. “Uh, your first,” Bucky says.

Clint swallows, but then he asks, “Did you want to get coffee sometime? With me?”

“Yes,” Bucky says instantly. “I’m off in two hours.”

Clint’s grin is as bright as the sunlight pouring in through the front windows. “Yeah?” Bucky nods. “Awesome. I’ll be,” and he hooks a finger toward the back of the shop, “y’know, over there.”

Bucky doesn’t even like coffee.

He is _ridiculously _excited for this date.


End file.
